Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary

Because Don Quixote is concerned that he was rather ill-prepared to become a knight-errant and go forth on adventures, he decides to head back to his village once more to finish his preparations. He does so by allowing his horse to choose the way, as he did when he set out. The outcome is that the horse follows its well-known path back to its stable in Quixote's village. On his journey home, he comes across a young boy tied to a tree, being whipped by his master. The master explains to Quixote, who is rather intimidating in his armor and with his lance, that he is doing so because the boy consistently loses his sheep when he is watching over them. The boy explains that this is because the master has not paid him his earned wages. The Don is appalled...